


Mocha Chocolata Ya Ya (Oh Yeah)

by baeconandeggs, exobubz



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-23
Updated: 2015-05-23
Packaged: 2018-03-31 20:58:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3992626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/exobubz/pseuds/exobubz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>According to Park Chanyeol, Baekhyun can’t be a female prostitute or Shrek’s wife.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mocha Chocolata Ya Ya (Oh Yeah)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, ate. First of all, I’d like to apologize for my writing. It’s Grade F. Another, I’d also like to apologize for the lack of plot. I started out with one and then I just rolled down the hill of la la land so I hope the amount of fluff can make up for my poop tendencies. I’d like to thank my beta for helping me like she always does. I have never seen Moulin Rouge, so I didn’t do the references justice. I have seen Shrek (haha) and Les Mis as well as the other musicals/plays, but as Park Chanyeol said, “Not enough sex!”… I don’t know my coffees either, but whatever! I hope this is at least 69.9999% passing hahaha. Thank you for the wonderful plots!!

“What the hell is this?”

Fingers crushing the yellow notice, Baekhyun glared at the words telling the entire theater crew about the new management. There had been rumors going around about the theater losing income, but the honey blonde, eyeliner-wearing, tight-jeans-or-nothing male wasn’t one to believe in gossip, even though he loved spreading the interesting ones. Having joined the theater when he was only nineteen, three years ago, Baekhyun already had a deep connection with the venue and its cast and crew. The rumors were only rumors to him, so he had initially ignored it, but with the paper in his hands, it seemed like his world was beginning to crumble.

_DEAR PERFORMERS,_

_I regret to inform you that I have sold the theater for the time being. I have tried to find ways to keep this theater as it is my baby, but for now, I do not have the finances to do it. All shows will proceed as planned as well as other business. Your contracts and salaries will be kept the same until the new owner and management decide what to do. Again, I regret having to inform you this way, but this is something that I could not have said in person._

_All the best of luck and break a leg, kids._

_Sincerely, a friend and a boss,_

_Kim Seungho._

Baekhyun’s glare poked holes through the piece of paper. He was absolutely livid. If the company was slowly sinking, then why the hell didn’t the old man say something about the matter? Did he want to keep the crew calm and collected because now they _weren’t_. For a second, Baekhyun wanted to cry and tear up in frustration, but then decided it wasn’t the time. His eyeliner wasn’t waterproof.

He fixed his scarf and barged through the front of the theater with a few other theater members following behind him, silently hoping Baekhyun would voice out all of their opinions. But when they reached the large auditorium, all of them witnessed the people, strangers, wearing construction belts and hats, tearing down the set the crew took months to make for the current play they were performing.

It was a horror more terrifying than the one time Baekhyun decided to shop at Versace before looking at the heinous price tag of the shoes he found appealing. He waited for a second, looking back around almost trying to coax one of the others to say something, but when no one spoke, he stepped up to the plate.

Running down the aisle, Baekhyun began screaming bloody murder, because that’s what it was--a murder. Of his home. His stage. The set that he received ten blisters from. If anybody was going to tear anything down, they needed to get the right and permit, and as far as Baekhyun knew, everyone there was a hoodlum with fat hands trying to ruin his stage.

“Hey! Hey, all of you!” he shouted, nearing the front row as fast as his tiny legs could take him. God, sometimes he wished he had longer legs just for the sake of running a distance. “What the hell are you doing!?”

The men who were tearing down the plywood trees stopped only for a second to look at him before going back to their orders. Another man on a latter didn’t even pause for anything. He only continued on, destroying one of the fake bushes that Baekhyun helped paint.

They were all large men. If it was a fight, Baekhyun would stand no chance, but that didn’t stop him from taking off his shoes and violently throwing it at the closest person he could hit. For someone who wasn’t very muscular in build, the blonde did have a bitchin’ aim, and that’s probably why the man he hit square on the side of the face turned to face him, face red from the impact.

“Was that you?”

It was a really stupid question in Baekhyun’s opinion since he was the only one near enough to throw at that distance _and_ his right foot’s sock was missing a shoe. Tightly, he smiled, crossing his arms dramatically. “Hi.” Naturally, he didn’t receive a response. “Are these your men?”

“Is this your _shoe_?” the man retorted, glancing at the footwear.

“Answer my question, sir.”

“I don’t have to answer your question, _kid_.” Bending down, the man took up the shoe by its laces before tossing it back to Baekhyun who dodged it by stepping to his left. “Give me your name.”

“Give me yours,” Baekhyun automatically said without thinking. It was a defense mechanism--talking back rhetorically.

There was a pause. A worker from the back interrupted them by asking the man what he should do with the broken pieces of the tree. Baekhyun wanted to scream at him to put it back, but the man waved him off, saying to dump it in the back.

When he turned back to looking down at the blonde, the man cocked his head. “Do you work here?”

“Do _you_?” Talking back was a bad habit, but Baekhyun never bothered to fix it.

“No,” the man replied, shrugging. “I don’t.”

Huffingly, Baekhyun raised his chin. “So, what? Shouldn’t you get out of here then? Don’t you know what time it is? Staff and performers are the only ones allowed in here.”

“I know.”

“You’re trespassing!” Baekhyun was beginning to lose his patience. “And so are those men who are _also_ destroying private property!”

A second went by. “What’re you doing to do about it?”

Baekhyun growled. “Call the cops,” he threatened.

Then, the man laughed, shaking his head before giving Baekhyun a look that made him feel even smaller than he already did. “Listen, princess. Call the cops, the national guard, I don’t care. No law enforcement’s going to take me away from my own property. At least, not while I own this place.”

-

-

So the theater really was under new management. That didn’t sit too well with Baekhyun. In fact, it didn’t sit at all.

He was in the back dressing room, staring at himself in his station’s mirror, glaring. As far as he knew, all of the shows were canceled since the renovations were being done to things that didn’t need renovating at all (in his opinion). Baekhyun growled, grabbing his eyeliner and putting it along his waterline angrily.

The theater, as he knew it, was a classic. They had a following and _he_ had fans. Any role that he played was revered in the local newspaper, and sure, the Magna Theater across town was much more modern and up-to-date about the major population’s theatrical desires, but Baekhyun was adamant that classics would always outlive the non-classics, which was why he had locked himself in the dressing room.

Park Chanyeol, major ass and brand-new owner of the theater company, announced that they would no longer be performing William Shakespeare’s plays.

“It’s boring, and quite frankly, no one understands it,” he had said, which infuriated Baekhyun as much as the swine’s uncultured taste in entertainment reviled him. There was no love in silly frilly plays and musicals that had uneducated fools of the theatrical arts laughing their asses off.

What wasn’t there to love about romance, blood, and tragedy? Hamlet’s soliloquies were speeches that had transcended through time and it was still very much alive. The inner conflicts, the themes! The same could be said about Sophocles’ plays such as _Oedipus_ and _Antigone_ , but no, Mr. Park also said he didn’t like the Greek play writer. By the time they arrived on the subject of Greek plays, Baekhyun already had the idea that Chanyeol was bent on turning his theater into a sexual strip club.

“This place needs something more controversial. Something that’ll make people gasp. Maybe a modern classic like _Phantom of the Opera._ Or maybe _Chicago._ ”

Those were awful suggestions. Not that Baekhyun was not in love with those work, but what about the timeless pieces? Modern tales were basically ripped from a Shakespearean play. Take West Side Story. The twentieth century rendition of the Capulet and Montague families. There was also the _10 Things I Hate About You_ based on the play _The Taming of the Shrew._

“What about _Les Miserable_?” Baekhyun had suggested when he was following the new owner around trying to argue the new direction of the company. “It’s about redemption, love, and--”

“Prostitution, destitution, and long songs about tables and chairs. No.”

How the hell could he even hate _Les Mis_? Baekhyun wanted to scream. He wished he could throw his other shoe at the back of Mr. Park’s head, but then he’d be completely bare foot since the man had the cruelty of keeping the first shoe that he threw. Apparently, it was “confiscated until the Christmas season” which was months away, so Baekhyun needed to buy a new pair of shoes if he didn’t want to strut around looking like a character from Les Mis.

No matter how he said it or _what_ he said, Baekhyun couldn’t convince the stubborn man otherwise. All he did was shove the cold numbers in Baekhyun’s face, showing him that the theater was (and had been) going on a steady slope downward month after month. They needed more of an audience and William Shakespeare wasn’t going to cut it.

-

-

The following Monday, Baekhyun received a call at five o’clock in the morning. It was an automated voice message that was mass-sent to everyone in the company, and he groaned in annoyance at the sound of his new boss’ voice.

_“Rise and shine. We’re going to have a meeting at exactly six about new productions, so please be here by that time or be marked absent. Any employee tardy will receive a warning. This is both business for the company and an employee evaluation. Be on time.”_

Of all the people to find out that the company was slowly going under, why couldn’t it be some other man? Preferably somebody who didn’t sound like the Terminator on the phone.

Rolling over, Baekhyun shoved his phone aside and decided to shut his eyes for a minute...maybe two...or forty-five.

-

-

“It’s six. Close the doors.”

Nodding, the front man moved with the keys to lock the back door of the theater, but just as he was doing so, an individual stumbled in, head first.

Tripping just outside, Baekhyun hit his head against the door, forcing the man on the other side to pull rather than push. The theater floors were cold and dusty (from the renovation) and Baekhyun felt like crying. Luckily, he remembered where he was and who he was sprawled out on the floor in front of.

The first thing he saw when he was able to refocus were the stupidly overpriced shoes that belonged to his boss. Grumbling under his breath, Baekhyun pushed himself up, wiping his face.

“Good morning, Baekhyun. Good to see that you’ve made it.”

His head was throbbing, but Baekhyun still managed to give a (slightly sarcastic) smile. “Thank you, Mr. Park--”

“However, it’s six o’one. You’re late and that’s going to be on your employee sheet.”

It was six in the goddamn morning, his hair was like a rat’s nest, he barely had time to brush his teeth, the white shirt that he was wearing was crinkled and his skinny jeans weren’t even properly zipped. Grouchy, Baekhyun took hold of his zipper and closed the view to his crotch.

“Fine. _Fine_.” Baekhyun said, backing off. It was too early to argue, but he still needed to have an attitude. Even if his boss looked fine as hell with his hair pushed back and black shirt leaned loosely against his body, Baekhyun had to give him problems if he wanted the man gone. “Where’re the rest of actors?”

“On stage,” Chanyeol answered, arms crossed, which Baekhyun thought he should stop doing because it was extenuating his biceps. “Did you oversleep?”

“No, I did not.” He woke up at exactly five, but decided to take a little nap. That did not constitute as oversleeping. “Traffic was just uncooperative this morning.”

“Traffic? There’s traffic at six in the morning? Five?”

“Listen,” Baekhyun said, very annoyed to be under scrutiny even though he deserved it, “there are _a lot_ of people up and about at this time, and Seoul is home to over ten million people, so traffic at this time is _very_ possible!”

Snorting, Chanyeol rolled his head. After signalling for the man near the door to lock the theater down again, he followed after Baekhyun. His eyes dragged down, following as Baekhyun tried to fix his jeans by pulling from the back.

“What’s wrong? Is something stuck down there?” he asked, though it sounded rather rude and intrusive.

Baekhyun glared back at him. “Thanks for the concern, sir, but don’t mind me. It’s just my _thong_ wedged between my ass cheeks.”

With thinning lips, Chanyeol drew his brows together. He might’ve deserved that inappropriate retort, so he let it go, but not before he asked, “Are you always this so awfully tasteful in the morning?”

“Only when I have to get up at the _butt-crack_ of dawn,” Baekhyun replied as they reached the stage.

-

-

“Alright. As part of this new management, you all have a voice in what we do. Now, what are some suggestions as to what kind of production you would like to put up-- _besides Shakespeare_ ,” Chanyeol said, adamantly adding the last part while eyeing Baekhyun’s eager mouth.

“What about the _Black Swan_?” Jongin, Baekhyun’s junior, suggested.

A groan came from the other side of the stage. Kyungsoo, a singer and actor, shook his head. “No, we are _not_ doing the _Black Swan_. It’s not fair. Jongin’s the only one here who knows ballet.”

“That’s not true. Baekhyun’s pretty light on his feet,” Jongin argued. “He’s also flexible. Show him, Baek.”

Though it was way too early in the morning, Baekhyun nodded as he was yawning. He warmed his legs up by squatting two times before taking in a deep breath and spreading. Slowly, he let himself down, thighs burning. After a few seconds, he had completed a full split. Some of his friends clapped, Jongin arched his brows as if to say “I told you so” and Chanyeol’s eyes were burning holes through his, lips twitching.

“Are you trying to show off?” Chanyeol curtly asked.

“I’m demonstrating, Mr. Park.”

“Get off the floor. This is a meeting, not a circus--”

Baekhyun lowered his voice and sang, _“Now, come on ladies, settle down. I run a business of repute--”_

“We’re not doing _Black Swan_ \--or _Les Mis_ ,” Chanyeol decided, glancing at Baekhyun for a second before turning his attention back to Jongin. “Not if you’re the only one capable of doing the choreography--and Mr. Byun’s acrobatic talents aren’t going to make me change my mind. Any other suggestions?”

“ _Brigadoon_?” Jongdae suggested.

Chanyeol shook his head. “Not enough sex.”

Baekhyun’s jaw dropped as he scrambled to his knees. “Not enough sex?” he said incredulously. “Are you forgetting the damn musical number where Jeff is practically being crawled on by a Brigadoon citizen? Or all the subtle implications that he couldn’t keep it in his pants?”

Sparing him a look, Chanyeol cocked his head. “It’s going to take more than just subtle sexual details to pull this place out of the can. This company needs…” His voice trailed off as an idea emerged. “This place...needs _Moulin Rouge_.”

“Oooh.”

“I like _Moulin Rouge_.”

Baekhyun was flaring. His co-workers were weak. He rose to his feet, huffing. “What does _Moulin Rouge_ have over _Brigadoon_?” he demanded to know. “They’re the same thing, practically.”

“Here’s what _Moulin Rouge_ has that _Brigadoon_ does not,” Chanyeol started. “The ability to make money.”

“But--”

Glancing around the room, Chanyeol ignored the small male. “Now… No matter how hard I look, I don’t seem to see any female actresses.”

“We _were_ a Shakespeare-oriented group,” Kyungsoo pointed out.

“Yes, I know,” Chanyeol said, reminded of all the times Baekhyun tried to shove the man’s work down his throat. “But Shakespeare had female characters in his plays.”

“If you knew your history,” Baekhyun said even though he knew his input was beginning to be less and less desired, “you’d know that he often used men to play the part of females. And this theater company has been following that tradition since it began.”

Frowning, Chanyeol watched as the others nodded. “Then who the hell played the females before?”

“Baekhyun.”

“Kyungsoo.”

“Baekhyun.”

“Baekhyun.”

“Luhan.”

“Baekhyun.”

“Sometimes Junmyeon.”

“Mostly Baekhyun.”

Without a word, Chanyeol turned his head towards the ever-so-popular Baekhyun. “You?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s hard to believe.” Before Baekhyun could argue in contempt, Chanyeol waved his hand, dismissing him. “Alright, then I guess we’ll have to call in for an open audition for the female lead. I’ll start working on the rights. In the meantime, watch the movie, watch online videos of other people’s productions, and study the story. You’ll be trying out for parts in two weeks of your _gender_.”

Baekhyun wanted to protest. “But--”

“Meaning you won’t be able to try out for Satine. We’ll be reserving that for a female actress.”

That was possibly the greatest insult Baekhyun had ever had the unfortunate luck of ever hearing. If that’s how the producer wanted to play, then fine. He’d play along.

-

-

Baekhyun watched the movie countless times, and in his small apartment, he practiced his dancing, high kicks and singing (much to the annoyance of his neighbors). If he had one thing going for him, it was his flexibility, which he made sure to practice on the daily so it would be easy to do tricks on demand without having to feel sore or weak.

If he wanted to be Satine, he needed to be sensual, so he practiced day in and day out with makeup and leggings. He was just as good as any girl, hence why the previous owner, Mr. Kim, never bothered looking for a female to join the company. Besides the fact that they followed Shakespeare’s ways, Baekhyun was also a damn good (and hot) woman and Park Chanyeol was going to regret ever trying to bar him from trying out for the main lead.

-

-

The finances were shit. They weren’t bad, but they were shit for Chanyeol’s standards and what his goals were. Baekhyun was right in that some people did love the classical plays of William Shakespeare, but not _enough_ people were so in love that they’d actually fill up the large theater.

It was a grand theater, a little old, but still had tiers that suggested the place was once a large attraction to many entertainment seekers. Now, as he heard, the previous owner was lucky to even have the cheapest seats sold out.

Sighing, Chanyeol put the papers down. Number crunching was a headache to do, especially when he knew that what he bought was essentially a large project.

The actors were above the average entertainer and that was a major plus. The only thing wrong with them was the fact that they had never really experimented with things outside the medieval times (granted that Shakespeare wasn’t medieval). Out of all of them, Baekhyun was the one who was giving him the most trouble (and amusement).

There was no doubt in his mind that maybe--just maybe-- the man could pull off Satine’s part, but Chanyeol thought that he had to keep his stance on the issue. There was no way in Hell he’d allow for Byun Baekhyun to change that fact.

-

-

Skin-tight tights, heels, makeup, and padded boobs. Chanyeol tried to keep his eyes off the way Baekhyun’s costume sharped the curve of his hips and the slenderness of his thighs. Compared to the girls who showed up, Baekhyun, the only one who _wasn’t_ a female was far out-doing the rest of them.

He gripped the pen in his hand, wanting to speak into the microphone and tell the idiot to get off the stage, but he stopped just before he leaned over to do so. If Baekhyun wanted to make a fool out of himself, then fine. That was his decision. Chanyeol decided he’d sit and watch the other try to fly only to crash and burn. Down on his notepad, he made sure to write a comment about Baekhyun’s assigned role in the musical, which he already predestined to be some kind of back-up dancer in the very least--

What in god’s name was he doing?

The girls were split in smaller groups, but given the same task to do which was to do the opening dance number of _Moulin Rouge_. The first group went and gone before Chanyeol could even take notice to any of the girls. When Baekhyun’s group shuffled on stage, the producer tried not to fixate his attention too much on cross-dressing idiot in the (incredibly) well-fitting dress. However, that was a daunting task.

As the girls (and Baekhyun) took their places, Chanyeol attempted to remain neutral, lowering his eyes on his paper when motioning his hand to signal their go. As the music started, the group began to sing and dance, legs out, showcasing their slender legs. To avoid being overly biased by treating Baekhyun like he was some kind of eye candy, Chanyeol spent the majority of the number with his head down, jotting down useless notes. Even with his eyes drawn away from the rest, he could still hear the brat try to out-sing the ladies, which he was doing fairly well, much to Chanyeol’s annoyance.

By the end of the song, Chanyeol clapped three times before dismissing the lineup. Baekhyun made eye contact with him, but Chanyeol only looked away.

-

-

The wig was god-awful and itchy. It was practically a blessing for Baekhyun to take the stupid thing off. The makeup was also much heavier than his usual preference. It was like having two apples taped to his face. His cheeks were very blushy-blushy, and that was something he wasn’t entirely down for.

As he was wiping off the lipstick in front of his dresser, he saw a tall figure pass in the hallway from the corner of his eye and paused. Rising from his seat, he walked out, wobbling momentarily on his high heels.

“Mr. Park!” he called, waving his lipstick-stained cloth. “Excuse me!”

Stopping as though he was sighing at the realization that Baekhyun would not leave him be until he interacted with him, Chanyeol turned his body around halfway. “Yes, Baekhyun?”

“I want to know how I did,” Baekhyun said very upfront.

Watching him, Chanyeol made a face. The way the latter was wiping did nothing more than spread the red stain around the area of his lips making Baekhyun look like he had a rash. “You did fine,” he briefly replied.

As the giant turned around to continue on walking, Baekhyun realized those were the only words the man was willing to give up. Dissatisfied, he pursued, picking up his fat dress. “Did I get the part?”

Chanyeol felt like Prince Charming when Baekhyun tried to run after him in a disheveled dress, only it was more like being chased by the Wicked Witch of the West instead of Cinderella. Stopping again to shake his clipboard in Baekhyun’s face, Chanyeol gave him a stern look. “I haven’t processed over my notes, Baekhyun. How do you expect me to know--”

Snatching the stupid thing from his hand, Baekhyun scanned the so-called “notes” with criticizing eyes. When Chanyeol tried to take it back, the short male turned his body away. After finishing with his business, Baekhyun shoved the clipboard back into the producer’s possession. “Not _sexy_ enough!? Can’t _sing_ well!? Can’t sing loud _enough!?_ Maybe you’re just blind and deaf!”

Crossing his arms, Chanyeol made himself appear as intimidating as he could. It wasn’t that Baekhyun wasn’t sexy enough or that he couldn’t sing loudly or well. It was more on the matter that the producer needed reasons (regardless of whether or not they were true) to cross Baekhyun off during the process of elimination. However, his big bad wolf tactics, which usually worked, failed in comparison to Baekhyun’s bitch fit.

“Do you _always_ take rejection this badly, Baekhyun, because it reflects poor mannerism as an actor,” Chanyeol said with a warning in his voice. “I won’t have problematic people in this company.”

“And I’m problematic for trying?”

“You’re problematic because you think you’re entitled to the main role because you’ve been here longer than any of those girls you auditioned with.” Chanyeol didn’t mean to sound so despicable, but he couldn’t stop the words before they slipped out of his mouth. He could see the way Baekhyun recoiled, a bit burned by the comment before bouncing back.

“Yeah? Well, you know what you are? Unfair. I know I did better than what you have written on your stupid notes,” Baekhyun said, defending himself as he took a step back. “How can you even make a fair judgment when your face was buried ass-deep in your ‘notes’ during the entire performance. You didn’t even watch us!”

Chanyeol stumbled. “I did--”

“No, you didn’t,” Baekhyun groaned, shaking his stained makeup wipe in the air. “I know because I was watching you the entire time, _Mr. Producer_.”

“Don’t question me, Baekhyun.”

“I’ll question you day in and day out!” Baekhyun swore. “Because the one thing I hate in theater is this, Chanyeol. I hate people who let their shitty personality and personal opinions get in the way of art.”

Licking his lips, Chanyeol realized how chapped his mouth was. Baekhyun was doing a (fine ass) job grilling him. If the man wasn’t an actor, he would’ve made a good prosecutor.

“And you’re saying that _you’re_ art? I’m getting in the way of _you_?”

With his chin raised, Baekhyun stomped a heel. “Damn right, I am! So, read your notes and scribble your thoughts down--I don’t care. But don’t be an asshole just because you don’t like me.”

Taking up the skirt of his heavy and torturous dress, Baekhyun swiveled on his heel and walked back down the hall, saying no more as he entered the dressing room once again. Chanyeol was left speechless, lingering on the thought that the honey blonde might’ve had a point somewhere along the line. The best way to pull the theater company out of its debt and ultimate fate of destitution was to make decisions with an unbiased point of view. From the pool of actors and actresses, Chanyeol already had an idea as to who was who, but the hardest part to give away was Satine’s.

-

-

Chanyeol received a call from his father around ten on the same evening the open auditions took place. It was nothing more than the usual greeting before business discussions.

“Your brother, Kris, informed me that you decided to invest in a failing theater?”

“It’s not failing,” Chanyeol argued in defense of the theater company. “A few changes should turn the place and its profits around.”

“Chanyeol, we don’t want you to dwindle your money away on this stupid decision.” His old man sounded angry despite the underlying concern. “If you wanted a theater of your own, Kris could have helped you--”

“I didn’t _want_ his help, and I still don’t.”

“Then let me bail you out of this mess. How much did you pay for it? We’ll buy you out.”

Growling, Chanyeol ran a hand through his hair, making it into a nest of a mess. “No one’s going to buy me out of anything. I paid for this damn thing with my inheritance, and I’ll build it up on my own.”

“It takes time and money to train and ready a crew for a performance, Chanyeol. That means months without income.”

“I’ll survive. I’ve already figured out a budget and how to balance my finances.”

“This was a stupid decision, Chanyeol.”

Scoffing, Chanyeol glanced at the documents on his desk, many of which were bills all under the theater company’s name. “Yes, well…It’s my stupid decision.”  
-

-

To cheer Baekhyun up, Kyungsoo, one of his closer co-workers, took him to the Magna Theater on a Thursday night hoping a night full of symphonies would ease the blonde’s anger over their new boss. As they stood in line, waiting to get in, Kyungsoo grinned at his friend, gentling nudging him with his elbow.

“You okay?”

“Yeah…” Baekhyun muttered, jittering from the chilly night. “Do you have the tickets?”

Nodding, Kyungsoo held up his hand. “Yep.”

They moved two steps up as the line progressed. Many of those around them were middle-aged couples, some with kids, and the elderly. Despite the older age-group, the turn out still resulted in the line going around the block. It was a good thing Kyungsoo urged them both to leave early.

Putting a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder, Kyungsoo shook him gently. “Stop thinking about that audition so much. I think you did great--as always.”

“Thanks, Soo, but your opinion doesn’t really matter. His does.”

Frowning, Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “He’s only one man.”

“One man who has the role that I want in the palm of his hands!” Baekhyun whined, throwing his head back, eyes towards the sky. “He’s so annoying. When is Mr. Kim going to come back…”

“I don’t think he’s coming back at all, Baek…” Kyungsoo looked at his watch. “This line should move on faster. It’s cold out here.”

“You wanna know what else is cold? Mr. Park’s dead-beat heart.”

-

-

After they finally got through security and handed their tickets inside, the two of them decided to split up. Baekhyun would handle the drinks (and maybe some snacks) while Kyungsoo had the job of standing in another line for merchandise since both liked having memorabilias. With his arms folded and foot tapping to the sound of the light, classical music playing from the speakers of the area, Baekhyun bobbed his head from side to side, wondering what kind of drink Kyungsoo would prefer.

The people in front of him were stalling their damn asses the entire time. Baekhyun thought he had shit luck for picking the slowest moving line of the century. As he was rolling his eyes, his attention fell on a familiar (and kind of hated) individual past the crowds of people. Actually, he spotted two familiar people. One of them being his boss, the other being the owner of the Magna Theater. It wasn’t totally uncommon for people within the same business (especially in the same city) to be acquainted with one another, but the way the Magna Theater’s owner pulled Chanyeol into a hug was a bit more intimate than the usual business etiquette.

After ordering and standing off to the side to let the people behind him do their business transaction, Baekhyun looked to the spot where the two men once were with a contemplating look on his face. What the hell was Chanyeol doing with him? It was obvious that they knew each other, but could it possibly be something more serious than just acquaintances or friends?

Baekhyun drew his brows in. What if Chanyeol was working for (or maybe even with) the Magna Theater to slowly turn his home theater into another chain under the Merveilleux Entertainment chain? That’d be god-awful to be in a sell-out type of market. Everything was so mainstream, and though Baekhyun didn’t call himself a hipster, it seemed a little too heartless and aimed far more into the pockets of the general public rather than the art of entertainment itself. 

And what the hell was his boss doing being so cozy with that man? It smelled too much like rainbows and unicorn for Baekhyun to dismiss it as nothing more than just _friendly_. _Mr. Wu,_ the man who owned the very venue Baekhyun was standing in at that moment, was giving the blonde feelings. It almost looked like they were (did Baekhyun even dare say?) lovers.

The person behind the counter called his name, pulling Baekhyun from his thoughts. Smiling, he stuck a straw in each drink before grabbing both into his hands. He didn’t wait long for Kyungsoo. In fact, the latter made it near the door they were supposed to enter from a bit earlier than the blonde.

“What did you get me?” Kyungsoo asked, crewnecks pressed against his folded arms.

“Sprite. Just the way you like it--carbonated. Like everything.”

“Ha.”

After they went inside and settled into their seats, Baekhyun looked around, slightly hoping he’d see his boss (out of curiosity). Noticing the way his friend was distracted as hell, Kyungsoo stopped fiddling with the crewneck he bought and nudged Baekhyun.

“Are you looking for anyone specific?” he asked, snorting.

“I…” Baekhyun’s voice trailed off before he stopped and sat still. “Okay, so, there I was. In line. Do you follow me?”

“You haven’t really gone anywhere, but yeah.”

“There, in a corner, I see Chanyeol.”

Arching his brows, Kyungsoo laughed. “Mr. Park? Here? I didn’t know he liked classical music. You’d think he’d be--”

“At a concert for mainstream crap? Yes. Hell yes. But that isn’t the point, though it _is_ really surprising for him to be here, to be perfectly honest.”

“Okay, but _your_ point is?”

“He was…” Baekhyun paused. “He was _friendly_ with someone.”

Kyungsoo looked as though he had lost interest. “Baekhyun, if you’re going to tell me that you’re jealous--”

“No!” Baekhyun vehemently denied. “I’m trying to say that he was being friendly with Kris Wu. You know, the owner of this theater.”

“Oh…” Turning forward, Kyungsoo looked at the stage. They weren’t too far from the stage, only a tier up from the bottom level audience. “Like boyfriends?”

“I don’t know, but that pat on the back was all too… _friendly_ ,” Baekhyun said, huffing as he settled into his seat. God, the chairs were more comfortable than the ones at their venue. It was a fact too bitter to admit. “Do you know what I’m trying to say?”

“You’re saying our boss is having a relationship with another man, and this is something that’s supposed to…?”

“Nothing. It’s just suspicious. Do they want to convert our theater into another one of _these_?”

Snorting, Kyungsoo took a sip of his drink. “You mean a theater with comfy seating and a stage that looks like heaven? I’d love to perform down there.”

“Kyungsoo! Loyalty!” Baekhyun said before slumping in his seat. “I don’t want anything to happen to our home. That’s all.”

Sighing, Kyungsoo reached over and put a hand behind Baekhyun’s neck. Immediately, the latter flinched and coiled. “Stop thinking about that stuff. Nothing’s going to happen, and I don’t think Chanyeol is the type of man to trick us like that.”

“How would you know?” Baekhyun asked as soon as he was able to slap Kyungsoo’s hand away. “We’ve only known him for three weeks, and he’s still new. I haven’t figured him out all the way just yet, but that doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy--for now.”

“Baekhyun, just because the man isn’t your type--”

“He’s very hard to manipulate, Soo.”

“It doesn’t mean that he’s a crook,” Kyungsoo finished, ignoring Baekhyun’s interruptive insert. “If he thinks you deserve the part of Satine, then congratulations. If not, then we’ll all just move on and accept that, maybe, one of those girls _was_ better than you.”

“That’s impossible,” Baekhyun muttered underneath his breath, quieting his voice as a loud announcement was made through the speakers reminding the admitted that filming was prohibited all cellphones had to be turned off. “I have a better body than any of the girls who auditioned that day…”

“Maybe Chanyeol wasn’t focusing on body physique.”

Baekhyun couldn’t help but snort.

-

-

What was it about mainstream entertainment that Baekhyun had a dislike for? It wasn’t like he was totally against it. Sandra Bullock was a good actress ( _The Proposal_ was one of Baekhyun’s few favorites) and the 2012 rendition of Les Mis wasn’t terrible. In fact, it was amazing.

Maybe he was just being too overly...snobby about tradition. That or he felt people were beginning to forget about the important classics of theater art. If he had to explain it to someone, it was like childhood. He grew up playing outside with trees and dirt then, but nowadays, the kids he often met were glued to their devices. To him, people needed to appreciate the past as much as the present...

-

-

The crew pitched other production thoughts and ideas over the course of the week, but all fell flat with Chanyeol’s focused judgment as to what was good and which ideas were terrible. Baekhyun stopped participating after a while, knowing Chanyeol too well by that point to even utter a word.

Chanyeol took notice of the blonde’s silence during group activities and exercises. At times, he wanted to question him about his slow interest, but often decided against it. In no way did he want to give the male the attention he was probably craving.

In his office, Chanyeol contemplated the list of girls who auditioned. Reluctantly, he added Baekhyun to the list of call backs. He thought about telling him, but felt like all he’d get was a snobbish, “Oh, did you put me there because you pity me or something? Screw you!”

The producer wasn’t about to take the chance of ruining the silence with that bit of information. One way or another, Baekhyun was going to twist the words into something insulting, and Chanyeol knew he’d regret ever saying anything a second later.

As for the male roles, Do Kyungsoo seemed like a good person to put into the role of Christian, though he _was_ shorter than Baekhyun. That’d be a problem, but there wasn’t a thing high shoes couldn’t fix. Chanyeol would have to test the chemistry between the two leads later.

-

-

As adamant as he was about Baekhyun’s participation as the part of Satine, Chanyeol couldn’t help but admit that the chemistry between Baekhyun and Kyungsoo was (dare he say it?) on fire. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they were already co-workers, but it was too good for Chanyeol to ignore. In fact, it was better than the rest of the callback girls.

He wrote negative and criticizing comments near Baekhyun’s name for the sake of being fair (since the other girls received very critical mark-downs), but in the last minute before he cut the duo off with the wave of a hand, Chanyeol wrote a small sub-note saying, “Maybe”.

-

-

After the callback auditions and most of the girls had gone home, he knocked on the doorway of the green room where Baekhyun was wiping the eyeliner and lipstick off his face. It wasn’t a necessary move to talk to the young male about his performance, but sooner or later, he’d be hunted down for the results anyways. To confront the beast head on was the wisest and easiest choice to make.

Turning his head from the view of the mirror, Baekhyun stopped dabbing his eyes with the wipe and fixed his posture from the hunch he had from leaning in forward. “What?”

Ignoring the curt (and kind of rude) greeting, which really wasn’t a greeting at all, Chanyeol entered the room, aware that his presence was making the other male tense. “Let’s talk about your audition.”

“Now you want to talk,” Baekhyun said, unimpressed. Turning his back, he focused on his reflection again, but couldn’t help but keep an eye on the producer using the mirror in front of him. “What do you have to say to me? That I was even _less_ sexier than I was in the first audition? Was my chemistry with Kyungsoo off, because it shouldn’t have been.”

“No,” Chanyeol said, arms crossed. “Nothing immature of that sort. To your credit, your chemistry with him on stage was great.”

“Good. The fact that we dated probably deserves some credit for that--besides the fact that we’re both great actors in general.” Baekhyun squinted his eyes. Using the pad of his thumb, he swiped his bottom lip to rid of a rebel stain. “It doesn’t take much to pretend like I’m in love with him since I _used_ to be... Park?”

“Baekhyun, I don’t think you’re the one best fit for the role,” Chanyeol said, ignoring the notes he had written down before that stated otherwise. “I’m not entirely convinced. You’re fairly close to ideal--”

_“Fairly.”_

“The top three candidates are the girls named Seulgi, Krystal, and J--”

“Sorry, but I’m not hearing my name on this top three, and I’m very sure I’m not deaf at all.” If Baekhyun sounded slightly annoyed, Chanyeol wasn’t mistaken. From the mirror, he could see the blonde glaring at him.

Chanyeol shrugged. “I did say fairly close.”

Spinning his chair around, Baekhyun folded his arms. “Maybe you should get a second opinion.”

“My judgement is fair,” Chanyeol insisted. “If I think you’re good enough, I’ll sleep on it.”

“How am I not good enough? You _just_ said that my chemistry with Kyungsoo was great.” Baekhyun stood up, forgetting that he was still in heels. Muttering to himself, he took off the shoes first before marching to where Chanyeol stood, leaning against a table. “Here. I’ll sing the song again.”

“No, I really don’t need to hear you--”

 _“My gift is my song and this one’s for you…”_ Putting on his stage face, Baekhyun got rid of the sour look on his face just a few seconds ago and smiled. _“And you can tell everybody that this is your song.”_

“Um…” Chanyeol tried to maintain his look of displeasure. “Baekhyun--”

Pushing a finger against the producer’s chest, Baekhyun cocked his head. Unlike his cocky and upfront approach, his voice was soft and charming. _“It may be quite simple, but now that it’s done. Hope you don’t mind…”_

Chanyeol tried to swat the finger away. “I do mind--”

 _“I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is, now you’re in the world…”_ Pulling his hand back, Baekhyun continued to grin. He took a step back, seeing how flustered the man in front of him had become. “Now, should we reenact the choreography or do you want to skip the part of having to dance with me? The perk of dancing is that you’ll be able to see that I’m actually a very good dancer.”

“I’m fine,” Chanyeol quickly said, moving to the side to end the fact that he was practically cornered in that position with Baekhyun standing so close to him and the table preventing him from backing up. “I don’t need another demonstration.”

“Then should I sing more?” Baekhyun asked, following him. “I can sing a different song, Chanyeol.”

The way his name rang so sweetly in his ears felt good. In fact, it felt _too_ good. Chanyeol pointed the clipboard in Baekhyun’s direction, giving them some distance. “There’s no need--”

_“I dreamed a dream of time gone by...When hope was high and life worth--”_

“Baekhyun, stop singing Les Mis--” The blonde looked too much like a tease for Chanyeol’s taste (kind of).

_“I dreamed that love would never die… I prayed that god would be forgiving.”_

“If you don’t stop, I’ll--”

“You’ll…?” Baekhyun leaned in. “What will you do?”

Chanyeol had no other option but to bluff. “I’ll release you from your contract and you won’t be part of this company anymore.”

Amused, Baekhyun arched his brows. He stared at the producer who was standing near the doorway again, and after a few seconds, he shrugged. “Okay. I’ll try out for the Magna Theater, then.”

That obviously struck a nerve with Chanyeol, hearing the name of his brother’s domain from the blonde’s lips. Despite how he tried to seem unfazed by the remark, Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel and look irritated as hell. “The Magna Theater? Aren’t you the one who hates new and modern storylines?”

“You know? If they give me the roles that they think I deserve based on talent, then whatever. I’ll even do a musical about Shrek if they give me the part of the green ogre.”

“You mean _Shrek_? Like the _title_?”

Baekhyun raised his chin. “I meant his ogre _wife_ , you ape,” he hissed before spinning around and walking back to his makeup station.

“If I don’t think you’re good enough to play a prostitute, good luck trying to get the role of an ogre’s wife, Baekhyun…” When he received no immediate response, Chanyeol took it as his chance to leave.

Once the producer was gone, Baekhyun pursed his lips. “I don’t need luck,” he muttered under his breath. “I’m good enough.”

-

-

Baekhyun liked his morning drink with three shots of espresso, all according to Kyungsoo who should know the man better than anyone else since they dated and--

Shaking his head, Chanyeol stopped thinking before his thoughts derailed. He stopped looking up at the menu to step forward and order. It was a gesture--possibly something like a truce. After he _did_ sleep on it, he figured that since Baekhyun did have chemistry with Kyungsoo, had the ability to belt out any note, _and_ already had fans to begin with so that meant that at least the theater could pull in some regulars.

After a few minutes, his two cups of coffee ordered were put on the counter. He took both, put them in a holder carton, and turned around, ready to head out the door and down to the theater, but almost bumped into the Shrek’s future ogre wife.

“Good morning,” Chanyeol said, greeting a little too stiffly.

Baekhyun, however, only nodded, barely even acknowledging him before trying to move around him. Reaching out, Chanyeol balanced the two drinks with one hand while pulling Baekhyun back.

“Three shots of espresso, chocolate syrup, steamed milk, and whip cream. Caffe Mocha.” Chanyeol waited for a second, letting Baekhyun’s confusion sink in. “Can we talk? Without arguing about whatever.” When he saw that Baekhyun didn’t look too interested, he gave in. “It’s about the role.”

“Which one? The one where I turn into an ogre at the buttcrack of dusk or the one where I’m unqualified to even play a prostitute?”

He deserved that and Chanyeol knew. Letting go, he cocked his head in the direction of some empty seats behind him. They were going to be late for work, but Baekhyun didn’t care and Chanyeol was the boss, To be on time was irrelevant to both.

Sitting down in a seat, Chanyeol took Baekhyun’s drink out the holder and placed it on the other side of the table. Baekhyun watched him cautiously, but followed his lead and sat down after muttering under his breath.

Despite their frictional relationship, Baekhyun still took the drink with no shame. It was _his_ drink and it was free. He wasn’t going to let it go to waste just because his boss was watching him carefully like an asshole being particularly weird in the morning. The mocha made him too weak to move so he decided he wasn’t going to ditch for a free drink.

“Alright. So, what made you go out of your way and buy me a drink? If this is some weird date--”

“It’s _not_ ,” Chanyeol said. He almost rolled his eyes, but he then caught himself. Looking arrogant wasn’t going to get him anywhere or fix anything. As politely as he could, which probably came off as weird and suspicious, Chanyeol smiled. “I just wanted to tell you that… I did think about what you said.”

“And what did I say?”

Baekhyun really wasn’t going to make anything simple and clean. “You told me… that I shouldn’t let my personal opinion or personality affect business decisions. Something like that. Can’t blame the fact that I don’t remember. You talk a lot, you know that? It’s hard to keep up.”

“Up your ass, Chanyeol.”

“You’re really comfortable with calling me by my first name considering I’m twenty-six and you’re only twenty-two. You’d think there’d be a little bit of formality between us.”

Snorting, Baekhyun shook his head. “No. I’ve already thrown my shoe at your head and you’ve already insulted me by saying I will never be good enough to be an ogre. We’re done with that stage of formality.”

“I don’t even think we got on that stage.”

Baekhyun shrugged, taking up the drink. “I agree with you for once.” He licked his bottom lip, taking away the white foam. “Is this all you wanted to say? That you actually listened to me for once?”

Shaking his head, Chanyeol leaned back, hand running through his hair. Baekhyun personally thought that no matter what shitty thing the man did to his hair, the stupid thing always fell back so perfectly. What the fuck.

“About Satine’s part… I’m going to give it to you.”

Chanyeol expected the latter to explode. It wouldn’t have been that surprising if Baekhyun got on the table and started dancing, but Baekhyun didn’t explode and he didn’t jump on anything. Instead, he cocked his head, unhappy.

“Nice joke. Did you hear that I went to Mr. Wu from someone? Who told you?”

Thrown off guard, Chanyeol drew his brows together. Wu? As in Kris? Baekhyun actually went to visit his brother, and that annoyed him. “No one. I didn’t make this decision because of your meeting with Kr-- _Mr. Wu_.” Did he sound too annoyed? Probably. “But when exactly did you meet--”

“The day after you told me I couldn’t be an ogre's wife,” Baekhyun said, giving him a small grin. “I went to the theater and demanded to see him. When they wouldn’t let me, I told them Park Chanyeol sent me, and all of a sudden, I was golden.”

Chanyeol tried to understand what was going on. Did Baekhyun know that Kris was his--

“Your boyfriend was _very_ nice, Chanyeol.” Putting the drink down, Baekhyun leaned in over the table. “He said that they’d be producing _Into the Woods_ soon. I think it’s a good opportunity. It’s not my preference, but I like it well enough. Maybe they’ll cast me as Rapunzel’s prince.”

It became clear as Baekhyun went on about how so much _better_ his brother was compared to him that the blonde was entirely _mistaken_ about their relationship.

_How can he date you? Why is a man like him with someone like you?_

Chanyeol had a churning feeling in his stomach, almost like the need to puke at the thought of dating his brother. He wanted to correct Baekhyun, but the latter wasn’t giving him the chance to jump and say something. Figuring that the slight mistake wasn’t worth fixing at the moment yet, Chanyeol reached over and shut Baekhyun’s lips with his fingers.

“I told you I’d sleep on it. I did. You have the part. Now, do you accept or do you plan on trying out for the prince who’s daft and blind for the entire second half?”

Pulling away, Baekhyun threw him a look, but not a comeback. He was being given the role he wanted so badly, but was it worth it? Mr. Wu did seem sincere in telling him that he had a good chance of landing a major role, but here was Chanyeol _giving_ him the role he had fought for so vigorously.

“If you don’t say anything, I’m going to assume you’re planning on turning in your two-weeks notice and joining--”

“I’ll take it,” Baekhyun said quickly. His decision was sound and final. “Satine’s my part. I want it.”

Smiling, Chanyeol nodded. Keeping Baekhyun in the company would pay off in the end. He had a feeling. “Good. I have an entire crew to oversee so I think it’s time to go. Come on. Let’s walk together.”

“Um, this sounds like an after-date walk.”

“Baekhyun, did this conversation seem like the type of conversation two people would have on a date?” Chanyeol stood up, pushing his chair in, cup of black coffee in hand. “I don’t care if you’re beyond late. That means I dock your pay, which is good for me.”

“That’s rude of you to even say in front of my face, but fine.”

-

-

The rain from the other night gave the city a pleasant aroma. Baekhyun loved it. It made him happier, making him care less about his attendance at work.

Chanyeol watched at the blonde swung his arm back and forth. Almost like a child, but that _was_ Baekhyun’s mental age category. As they walked, the giant’s eyes caught sight of a large billboard above a building advertising the Magna Theater’s currently featured shows. 

Baekhyun must’ve seen him looking because he nudged his boss with his elbow. “Real question, so why don’t you like Shakespeare? Or Sophocles? Or anything old, to be honest.”

“It’s not that I don’t like them. They’re all provocative and tragic. Shakespeare’s sense of humor is hilarious, but the way the theater is--and formerly was--makes it obvious that change is needed. If only more people were into them.”

“Why do you want to fix the theater so badly?” Baekhyun asked. “If its assets and value were declining, why would you buy it? What’s in it for you?”

“What’s in it for me?” Chanyeol looked forward. “My own theater. My own independant company. Profit.”

“Hm…” Baekhyun pointed at the billboard. “If you wanna be up there, you can just buy your own advertisement.”

“I would if the theater made enough money for me to actually buy something.”

“You’re a prick--ah!”

Baekhyun stepped off the sidewalk to cross the street only for one leg to step in a small hole filled with water from the rain. He groaned, lifting the leg up. His jeans were soaking wet, and when he looked back at Chanyeol who hadn’t stepped off the sidewalk yet, he glared.

“You saw this coming, didn’t you?”

“I saw the pothole, but I didn’t think you’d step in it if that’s what you mean.”

“And you didn’t think it’d be nice to warn me about it?”

“I _am_ a prick after all,” Chanyeol said nonchalantly and taking a sip from his coffee. With one long stride (thanks to his long legs), he stepped over the puddled area and crossed the street without waiting for the blonde to get over his wet foot. “Better start walking, Baekhyun. Might as well walk that leg dry.”

-

-

Baekhyun as Satine wasn’t just _good_... It was great--Chanyeol would never admit to it anyways. Whenever he watched the duet between Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, he did see sparks flying, and by the end of every practice of the duet of “Your Song”, Baekhyun would always laugh and hug Kyungsoo, telling him what a great job he did.

The girls who auditioned for Satine only to be offered the role of other female characters were a bit resentful in private for a time, but after a week, they were all fawning over Baekhyun, especially when he was out of costume. Sometimes, they’d all go out for coffee dates and over eccentrically beg for Baekhyun to go along. He’d go only because he was addicted to the drink.

Before he felt too jealous about the entire thing (jealous about not being invited was what Chanyeol was trying to convince himself), Chanyeol would turn his attention to managing the theater’s resources. He had money in his personal bank account to fund multiple things, but that money wasn’t solid. It’d only disappear.

If things were to go badly, he’d have no choice but to ask his father or brother for help, and that was something Chanyeol wanted to avoid at all cost. Being the youngest son meant that all the attention was designated to the first, especially since Kris was six years older (and from his father’s first marriage). That was probably what led to his problematic high school days full of suspensions and detentions. After a while, in college, he tried to make up for those days, but his family always saw him as the troublemaker son. Everyone, but his grandfather. Unfortunately, the rest of his family thought having him in the old man’s will was a mistake, and with the buying of a hopeless theater, that was only proof that Park Chanyeol was nothing more than the black sheep of the family. To prove them all wrong was something he wanted, but other than that, he just wanted to be something.

-

-

“Isn’t that Mr. Wu?”

They were practicing a scene with Jongin who was playing Zidler and Jongdae as the Duke when Kyungsoo nodded his head in the direction of the doors on the bottom floor. Baekhyun turned his head and watched as the magnificent man walked down the aisle. Chanyeol wasn’t too pleased with his appearance, and left Heechul to do his job as a director and recollect everyone’s attention.

However, no matter what Heechul said to try and get everyone back into character, Baekhyun’s eyes were fixated on the two men, watching as Chanyeol stomped over like an ape only to be pulled into a hug by the multi-millionaire Wu. Sighing, the blonde finally turned around after some time and began reciting his lines.

It wasn’t long before Chanyeol lost control of his brother’s intended actions and accidentally let the man slip past him, walking closer and closer to the stage. Knowing they were in the presence of entertainment greatness, the actors stopped what they were doing and rushed towards the edge. Chanyeol noticed how Baekhyun was one of the slower people who seemed like they either didn’t care or didn’t know his brother. That was...good.

“Hello, don’t mind me. I’m just here to visit how Chanyeol’s been taking care of you all,” Kris began. His eyes were shining, but Chanyeol blamed the lights. “My name’s Kris Wu. I own the Magna Theater, which I’m sure you’ve all heard of before. If I like any of you, Chanyeol better watch his back. I just might snatch one of his actors away.”

The actors laughed, but Chanyeol knew that it wasn’t a joke. His eyes glanced over to Baekhyun, and immediately, he regretted it. The blonde was looking back at him.

“I hear you’re doing _Moulin Rouge._ Is that correct? Which one of you ladies is playing Satine?” All eyes looked over to Baekhyun who wasn’t in costume at all. Not a single drop of makeup was on his face and all he was wearing were sweatpants and a shirt. He looked tired and casual, something that Chanyeol didn’t find so bad, but apparently, his brother was in shock about the entire thing. “You? Baekhyun, is it?”

“Yes, Baekhyun has the part,” Chanyeol quickly said, wanting to get it all over with. “Now, can you--”

“So you got the part,” Kris said, smiling up at the blonde. It was one amazing smile, and Chanyeol could see that Baekhyun was in awe despite his I-don’t-care attitude just a few minutes ago. “Well, congratulations. I can’t say I’m not disappointed. I was looking forward to seeing you again.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wu. That’s really nice of you to say,” Baekhyun replied politely. “It would’ve been an honor.”

“That option is still on the table, Baekhyun,” Kris added. “In case working here doesn’t work out.”

Putting a gripping hand on Kris’ shoulder, Chanyeol looked at him sternly. “Are you done?”

“I’m just checking on you,” Kris told him quietly, shaking off the hand. “Making sure that you aren’t spending grandfather’s money more recklessly than you’ve already done.”

That was a slap in the face. Whenever his family mentioned the money given to him, they always muttered under their breaths about how the will was one big joke and how foolish the old man was to ever write him in it. They didn’t know how much his grandfather loved him more than Kris. That was a fact that was overlooked.

Faking a smile, Chanyeol put a hand on his brother’s back. “Okay, then. If that’s all, I’ll be glad to discuss to you about the finances and renovation plans that the theater has in my office.”

“That would be great.” Waving to the actors with his eyes lingering on Baekhyun, which Chanyeol noticed and felt the burning need to pull his brother along, Kris offered his good-bye and followed Chanyeol back up the aisle.

-

-

It was late and everyone had either gone home, to the bar, or some other venue where a group of them could rehearse lines and exchange ideas. No one had seen Chanyeol since he took Kris to his office and even after the man left. Baekhyun was one of the last to consider leaving. He felt...weird leaving without checking up on the prick. What if something happened? What if Chanyeol simply fell asleep? Either way, Baekhyun needed to make sure the man was okay. Who’d sign his paycheck if he died?

He peeked inside Chanyeol’s office using the window in the hallway first. A sigh of relief came out of him when he saw that the giant wasn’t dead, he was only looking angrily at some papers that were probably too important for Baekhyun to understand. Knocking on the door, Baekhyun let himself in without permission.

“Hey, are you going to go home soon?”

Grunting, Chanyeol didn’t answer. Not satisfied with what he got, Baekhyun sat in one of the chairs in front of the man’s desk. “You should close up the theater.”

“No.” Looking up from all the paperwork, Chanyeol met the blonde’s eyes. From what Baekhyun saw, he was surprised to see how sad and angry he looked. Maybe even hurt.

“Why’re you like this?” Baekhyun asked non-committedly, cocking his head. “Was it because your boyfriend came here today?” After the silence that he got, Baekhyun leaned forward. “I’m sorry if it seemed like he was flirting with me--”

“Oh my god, Baekhyun, stop.” Chanyeol threw his head back, rubbing a hand on his forehead. “It’s not that. He’s not even my boyfriend.”

“Chanyeol, it’s fine! I saw you two together once. I already know.”

“When?”

Baekhyun gave him a look. “At the Magna when they had the entire orchestra playing one night. Kyungsoo bought us the tickets and I was standing in line for soda when I saw you two.”

“Baekhyun… He’s my brother. _Half_ -brother.” Staring at the ceiling, Chanyeol heaved his shoulders. “I should’ve corrected you the first time you said boyfriend, but I was too busy trying to tell you something else.”

So they weren’t dating. Why this made Baekhyun feel good, he didn’t know. “Then why’re you staying late?”

“Why are _you_?” Chanyeol threw back.

Crossing his arms, Baekhyun looked at the office door. “You were still in here. I wanted to see if you were still breathing.”

“Really?” Chanyeol arched a brow. “That’s unexpected of you.”

“Why?”

“You’d think you’d want me dead or something...” Chanyeol said, giving a small laugh. It was like music to Baekhyun’s ears. At least he didn’t sound so depressing. “Do you want to go get a drink or something?”

“What about all of this?” Baekhyun mumbled, motioning to all the paperwork on the desk.

Shaking his head, Chanyeol dismissed the work. “I can go over them tomorrow.”

“But these look important.” Picking up one of the papers, Baekhyun scanned it. “I mean, you’re trying to get sponsors and advertising companies to feature us… That’s important, right?”

“Yeah, but I want a drink. Are you going to keep me company or not?”

-

-

Chanyeol’s apartment was really nice, but Baekhyun didn’t have enough time to be in awe because immediately after kicking the door closed, Chanyeol picked him up and took them all the way to the bedroom. Luckily, he wasn’t drunk enough to stumble and drop the blonde in the hallway. That would’ve killed both of their raging boners.

“These are really fucking annoying,” Chanyeol growled, trying to untie Baekhyun’s sweatpants. The knots had been pulled tight earlier in the day and there was nothing either of them could do. After a while of pulling and squirming on Baekhyun’s end, Chanyeol managed to throw the annoying piece of clothing article on the ground.

He helped Baekhyun take off his shirt and didn’t wait for the latter to be finished tossing it away before taking one of his nipples in his mouth. Arching his back, Baekhyun gasped and whined especially when he felt a large hand in between his legs.

It was just drunk sex, kind of. They weren’t completely drunk. In fact, Baekhyun was more on the sober side, and Chanyeol didn’t seem like he was out of his mind. They were just buzzed, and a little energetic. Sex _was_ the greatest form of exercise, and Baekhyun needed all the exercise he could get to keep his figure for the musical. Chanyeol needed to be fit, too, in order to keep being...hot.

Chanyeol toyed with his hole, teasing him by circling a finger around the rim. Baekhyun wasn’t a fan, but it only made Chanyeol’s grin wider. When the man left his side for a few seconds to get the lube and condom pack from his bedside drawer, Baekhyun was crying out in frustration.

“Get naked _now_ ,” he demanded, tugging and tugging on Chanyeol’s shirt and jeans. “You’re not fair even in bed!”

Laughing with that rich voice of his, Chanyeol dropped the lube and condom on the bed before pulling his shirt over his head. Baekhyun’s lips went dry. The man was perfect--and that goddamn happy trail of his.

“You wanna unbuckle my jeans for me?”

In another situation, the answer would’ve been no, but Baekhyun was so eager to see where the happy trail ended that he worked quickly to tear apart the buckle and snap the front of the jeans open. Immediately, the only thing in between his lips and the man’s gloriously sized cock was a pair of dark black underwear.

Baekhyun opened his mouth to ask if he could get rid of the thing, but before the words could even slip out of his mouth, Chanyeol reached in and pulled himself out.

“You were taking too long.”

“Prick.”

“Dick sucker.”

“How _dare_ you?” Baekhyun gasped. Still, he grabbed Chanyeol’s thick shaft. “I mean, _true_ , but you know.”

Chanyeol laughed, fingers tangled in Baekhyun’s hair. “Wanna put those lips to use?”

Snorting, Baekhyun took a long lick from the balls all the way to the tip of the leaking head of Chanyeol’s cock. “Are you gonna write down notes saying I’m bad at this?”

“Depends. Are you?”

Baekhyun took all of him in his mouth, dick hitting the back of his throat, and he stayed that way for a few seconds, and gently sucked as he slowly popped the cock out of his mouth. Chanyeol went weak.

“I don’t know. Am I?”

“Goddamn it, Baekhyun. Shut up and do that again.”

It was the only order the blonde was happy to do.

The sex wasn’t just good; it was fucking amazing. All that talk about Baekhyun being flexible, it wasn’t exaggerated. At one point, Chanyeol dared him to do the splits, and Baekhyun took up the challenge. His tiny cunt swallowed the thick cock slowly whole as his ass descended down until his legs were perfectly stretched. Chanyeol almost died.

Baekhyun climaxed just by being fucked in the ass when Chanyeol picked him up and continuously rammed against his prostate, and he hit Chanyeol on the chest after it happened when the guy laughed at him for screaming. Chanyeol set him down after to slow down, tired from holding Baekhyun up, and came, balls tightening as the condom became filled with his load. To get back at him for laughing, Baekhyun squeezed his ass, only making the process feel too good to bear.

Afterwards, Chanyeol thought Baekhyun was being nice for slipping the condom off and tying it up for him, but when the blonde threw it in his face, Chanyeol tackled and pinned him down on the bed. This eventually started round two. Unfortunately for Baekhyun, Chanyeol didn’t use a condom the second time around so he couldn’t throw the product of their midnight activity in the man’s face again.

-

-

Baekhyun woke up to a hand kneading one of his ass cheeks, pinching and groping it teasingly. Groaning, he hit whoever was doing it on the stomach weakly only to receive a laugh. Rolling over, he peeked through tired eyes up at the stupid face grinning at him.

“What time is it?”

“It’s five-fifteen so rise and shine, princess.”

 _“Nooo…”_ Smashing his face against the pillow, Baekhyun shut his eyes again. “I’m going to call in sick for today.”

“I’ll buy you your mocha again if we get up now.”

Kicking the bed sheets off of him, Baekhyun whined but sat up, nude and cold. He turned his head back, frowning as Chanyeol slowly rose. “ _Fine_... But I get to use the bathroom first.”

-

-

While Chanyeol ordered their drinks, Baekhyun found his eyes glued on the man's neck. He saw a slight bruise and cringed, reminded that he made it.

Ew. He was gross in bed. And messy.

Glancing down, Chanyeol caught the blonde's eyes looking up and him. "What?"

Baekhyun shrugged, moving aside so the two of them could wait for their drinks without bothering the rest of the people in the shop. "You have a hickey."

Chanyeol gave him a look. "Yeah, I know. You were pretty wild last night."

"Shut up."

"The ones I gave you aren't visible. You're welcome."

"You do know I have to change in the changing room with the others, right?"

Their orders rang up and Chanyeol took both cups, handing Baekhyun his mocha. "Unless you're going to spread your legs for all of them to see, I don't think they'll see anything."

Reaching over, Baekhyun pinched him but didn't do too much damage. The man's jacket got in the way. "Just so you know, this isn't serious or anything."

Nodding, Chanyeol held the door open and ushered the blonde out. "I know. You kept saying it last night."

“You were just sad and I got a little horny--”

“Do you always give out pity sex?” Chanyeol asked, amused as they walked down the street.

“No!” Rolling his eyes, Baekhyun licked the whip cream from his lips. “I mean, I don’t. It was just coincidence that you were down in the dumps and I needed someone down _there_. Get it?”

“Sure.”

Pushing the subject aside, because, in order for it to be nothing more than a one-night stand (or “pity sex”), they needed to talk about another thing, Baekhyun smacked his lips together before asking, “So, you’re rich, right?”

“Somewhat,” Chanyeol answered briefly. “I don’t like to think about that.”

“But your dad’s basically the Merveilleux Entertainment CEO… Are you planning on fixing the theater and then turning it over to the chain?”

Chanyeol never thought of that idea. If the theater became successful, he could always show it off for a while before adding it to his family’s chain, but it seemed wrong. And Baekhyun looked a little sad at the possibility. Shaking his head, Chanyeol heaved his shoulders. “I’m not. I won’t hand you over. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Do you really not like your family that much?” Baekhyun asked. “I understand and all, but--”

“Do you have to be so good at remembering shit?” Laughing, Chanyeol touched the blonde’s cheek before surprising him with a pinch. “You need to stop.”

“I memorize lines for a living, god.” Baekhyun rammed his shoulder to Chanyeol’s side. The coffee in the giant’s hand spilled over slightly, enough to inflict a burning sensation on his hand. “It’s not my fault you talk a lot when you’re buzzed.”

“I thought you wouldn’t remember shit in the morning. My fault for underestimating.” Chanyeol scoffed, flicking his burnt hand. “I thought you were drunk.”

“Not really. I thought you were.”

“I wasn’t.”

-

-

Kyungsoo had his hands on Baekhyun’s waist. It was kind of annoying. And the two weren’t even in costume, wearing only simple attire, but that didn’t keep Chanyeol from trying to distract himself with his cellphone. He walked out of practice a few times to make “phone calls” but Chanyeol would never have anything to say about those calls whenever someone asked him what they was for.

It was a Thursday when Heechul decided that it was the day to dip everyone’s feet in the water with the kiss and (technically) bed scene. With Kyungsoo’s hands on Baekhyun’s arms, the two of them looked at each other with such passion that Heechul was bursting into flames in the director’s seat. Chanyeol, on the other hand ,was burning for other reasons.

The kiss was soft and gentle, perfect for Satine and Christian. Kyungsoo’s hand moved down Baekhyun’s back. It lasted for a formidable amount of time, but it felt longer to the producer who was clicking his pen annoyingly with every second that passed. It was a relief to him when the two began to pull apart, but just as Heechul was about to cry out a cut, Baekhyun grinned and leaned back in, kissing Kyungsoo once again, only deeper. The latter didn’t seem to mind, laughing into the kiss before Chanyeol rolled up the script in his hand and began whacking it against chair in front of him.

“Stick to the script! It says to _gently_ kiss!”

Snorting, Baekhyun stepped away from Kyungsoo and cupped his hands to his mouth. “It’s called theater impromptu, Mr. Park. I think the audience will like it more this way.”

“It doesn’t matter what they want. I want--” Realizing what he was going to say, Chanyeol locked his jaw, giving himself a second to recollect. “The _theater_ is a place for the arts. This is turning into a porn set. I don’t like it. Heechul, have them stick to the script.”

Unlike Heechul who nodded, uncaring for how tiny details, Baekhyun frowned, still unfinished. “Weren’t you the one who said that this theater needed more _sex_? Sex sells, doesn’t it?”

“It does, but stick to the script.”

“Chanyeol--”

Shaking his head, Chanyeol waved his hand and dismissed him. “I have to make a phone call. Follow what the script says.”

-

-

Baekhyun cried, face hitting the mattress with his back dipped and bare ass at the mercy of Chanyeol’s fingers. He reached back and managed to pinch the giant on his naked thigh. Hissing, Chanyeol stopped, pulling both of his fingers out.

“What the fuck was that for!”

“I said I wanted it _now_. Are you deaf?” Growling, Baekhyun rolled on his back, legs spread apart. “Roll that condom on and get in.”

Cursing under his head, Chanyeol hurried to rip the condom pack open. Baekhyun did his part, spreading more lube at his entrance and putting the rest on Chanyeol’s swollen cock. When the rubber finally rolled down to his hilt, Chanyeol put a hand on one of the blonde’s thighs and lifted it until his pink, puckered hole was clear in view.

Rolling his hips, Chanyeol rubbed the tip of his cock against the cleft. Then, guiding the shaft with a hand, he pushed the head inside, entering a state of bliss.

“Fuck…” Baekhyun gasped, nipples perked and needy for attention. “Don’t stop, don’t stop… More. Give me all of it.”

Chanyeol shifted, moving another inch inside. Baekhyun was squirming beneath him, head thrashing as tiny beads of sweat ran down his neck. Leaning down, Chanyeol grinned, taking one of the blonde’s nipples in his mouth, suckling before he teased with his teeth.

“You wanna stick to the script or not? If you say yes, I’ll fuck you really hard. If not, I’m pulling out. Your choice.”

“You’re a fucking prick, Chanyeol!”

To let the male know he was being (slightly) serious, Chanyeol pulled out half an inch until Baekhyun glared at him and grabbed him by the hair, forcing the giant to look at his face. _“Don’t you dare.”_

“Follow the script, princess. Say it. Say you’ll follow the script.”

“That’s not-- _fuck_! Stop pulling out!”

Knowing he had the upper hand, Chanyeol’s grin grew wider. He crawled forward until his lips met with the blonde’s jaw line. “I really don’t want to pull out. You know that. I want you, hot and grinding against me.”

“I really hate you,” Baekhyun whined, but nonetheless, accepted the kiss on the lips Chanyeol offered. “Fuck you, but fine. I’ll stick to the goddamn script, you jealous asshole.”

Satisfied, Chanyeol rammed his entire length inside, making Baekhyun cry out, gasping. “Sex does sell, but this is something that I wanna keep exclusive. Understood, princess? Good.”

-

-

“This isn’t serious. It’s more like...a _two_...three...five...six night stand.”

“It’s eight, not six, Baekhyun. Learn how to keep track.”

“Fuck you…Will you be ordering my mocha this morning?”

“Don’t I always?”

“Can I get a bagel this time?”

“Didn’t you get fed enough last night?”

“You’re disgusting.”

-

-

It was late spring by the time Chanyeol began to set the dates for the performances. The set was finished, ready to use for full on rehearsals, and the costumes were redone, some were even newly made and ordered.

Kris dropped by twice since his last unwanted visit, but Chanyeol made sure to cut each meeting short. Baekhyun would sometimes ask whether or not he’d ever get along with his older sibling, but it was something Chanyeol always avoided answering.

The money he had put into advertising was paying off. People were offering to be sponsors, some even reserving tickets. Baekhyun’s fan club, which Chanyeol never really believed existed until the organization emailed him for information, reserved as many seats as they could. The fans of the other actors also called and reserved whatever they could. The rest of the empty theater spaces were open to the public, but at that point, Chanyeol had no worries.

After the end of one lengthy rehearsal, Chanyeol expected for the blonde to wait for him, a routine that was beginning to grow on the producer. However, by the time he was ready to leave, Baekhyun was already gone, and everyone he had asked said Baekhyun left early to take care of business.

Part of him wanted to ask what kind of business, but then he realized he couldn’t exactly ask since it wasn’t his issue to bother with anyways. It wasn’t like they were seeing each other, nor was Baekhyun obligated to go home with him to sit around, maybe eat, have sex, sleep, talk about movies, have sex, and then get their coffee (Baekhyun’s mocha) before going back to work.

The night began a little on the sadder end of things. He got home at around ten, took a shower, and couldn’t sleep despite being completely dead tired. So to keep himself occupied, he turned on the television and watched a documentary about penguins and polar bears (the penguins kind of reminded him of the blonde) until a series of knocks started bombarding his door.

It was odd to have a visitor that late, but Chanyeol proceeded with caution, dragging himself off his couch to open the front door. The second that he did threw it open, Baekhyun ducked under his arm and let himself in, shrugging off his jacket.

“Hey!” Baekhyun said breathlessly. “I thought you’d be sleeping by now.”

Giving him a confused look, Chanyeol shut the door behind him. “What’re you doing here?”

“Weren’t we going to… I don’t know? Talk and eat and go to sleep?”

“Yeah, but that was before you kind of ditched me.” Chanyeol stuck a hand up his shirt, rubbing his cold stomach as he walked past the smaller male. “Where’d you go? Do you want water or something?”

“Uh, yeah. That’d be nice.” Baekhyun followed him to the kitchen and sat on one of the bar stools, watching as Chanyeol pulled out a glass from a cabinet. “I had to talk to someone important but they wanted to talk over dinner, so I had to leave.”

“And you didn’t think it’d be nice to give me a heads up?” Chanyeol asked, pouring ice and water into the glass. Then, he slid it over the counter to the blonde. “Maybe a text?”

“Well, you would’ve asked what it was for and who it was _with_ and I don’t think you would’ve liked it very much,” Baekhyun replied, nonchalantly as he took a drink. “I had dinner with your brother. Kris, was it? He invited me out after I called him and--”

Frowning, Chanyeol leaned over the counter, elbows on the hard surface. “What did you call him for?”

“I called him for something that you don’t really need to know about.” Looking straight at the man in front of him, Baekhyun gave him a soft smile. “You don’t need to worry about anything. I’m not planning to leave you guys at the last minute.”

“Then what went on with this dinner date?” Chanyeol wanted to know. He was actually fidgeting to know and that was just embarrassing, but pride was irrelevant at the moment. “Did you go for business or for pleasure?”

“Chanyeol, you know I can’t say no to free things. The man offered to pay for my steak. I thought I’d faint in his arms.”  
Great. Baekhyun felt like fainting in his brother’s arms. That was absolutely fantastic. Chanyeol was getting heartburn and it wasn’t from the pizza that he ordered when he thought Baekhyun flaked on him.

“So, he offered you meat and you took it.”

“It was so thick and juicy and--”

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol interrupted. His mind was going places he didn’t want to go. “What were you doing with my brother?”

“I was simply _talking_ to him about you.” Putting a hand forward, Baekhyun squeezed the giant’s chin. “You’re a big baby, you know that? I think your brother needs to come and watch the show opening night. What do you think--”

“No.”

Baekhyun pouted. “Why not?”

“Because all he’s going to do is criticize and try to recruit you guys.” Groaning, Chanyeol moved away, around the kitchen island. “Then he’s going to report back to our family and try to act like an adult over my business.”

“That’s not true,” Baekhyun said, eyes following the giant until Chanyeol stood right in front of him. He took the male’s two hands in his own and swung them around, back and forth. “I think he’s excited--worried but excited. Oh, and so is your dad.”

“What the hell? You met my dad, too?”

Shrugging, Baekhyun made it as though it wasn’t a big deal. “He wanted to come along to talk about you--oh! And to meet me for some reason. Did you tell him we were dating or something?”

Chanyeol never disclosed his relationship with Baekhyun to anyone and that was because of the fact that he didn’t _know_ what kind of relationship they had. It felt like they were dating, but without the official title, but at the same time, Baekhyun kept saying it wasn’t “serious”, and out of habit, Chanyeol would always agree in some form or another. Whatever it was, it was comfortable.

“I don’t tell my family shit,” Chanyeol muttered, not minding the fact that Baekhyun was beginning to play with his hands. “I haven’t said a word about you to anyone.”

“Really? I told Kyungsoo we were friends, but he didn’t believe me.” Laughing, Baekhyun hopped off the stool. “And then the lady at the restaurant called Kris my boyfriend, but he said ‘No, no. He’s my brother’s partner,’ and I was--”

“Sorry, that must’ve been--”

“Somewhat pleasant?”

Chanyeol froze. The bitch of princess kingdom just confessed that being called his “partner” was “somewhat pleasant”. Before Chanyeol could react or say something to elaborate on the matter (because he liked hearing the latter talk about their relationship), Baekhyun let go of his hands and started walking to the living room.

“Anyways! On the opening night, what kind of plans do you have after?”

It took a second to get back on his feet. “Nothing...really. I plan on coming home and sleeping.”

“That’s boring,” Baekhyun said, plopping on the couch. “At least get laid or something. By the time we’re done, a lot of women and men will be after you.”

“I’m not interested.” Chanyeol sat on the end while Baekhyun tried to make himself comfortable, placing his head on Chanyeol’s thigh. “What’re _your_ plans? Getting laid?” he asked, snorting at his own sarcasm.

“As a matter of fact, yes.” The pause was too long. Chanyeol could feel himself getting jealous. “But he better let me buy his drink next time, because it’s starting to feel like I only sleep with him for free mocha.”

-

-

“You have _Les Mis_ in your DVD collection and you have the nerve to hate it. What the fuck, you--”

“Never said I hated it.”

Glaring back at Chanyeol who was spread out on the bed, Baekhyun scoffed. He opened the DVD tray and slipped the movie disk in. “Oh, like making fun of Marius’ empty chairs and empty tables didn’t translate to _‘I hate this stupid musical’_.”

“I just think it’s stupid how the rich guy pretending to be poor was able to survive while all his actual poor friends died, _and_ that fucker still got the girl in the end...

“Chanyeol, it’s not just about that,” Baekhyun sighed, jumping back in bed and crawling to the space that the latter had made for him.

“And what the hell? They met for like two seconds and immediately fell in love while Eponine’s over there singing by herself because the guy’s too busy being a jackass?”

“Chan--”

“And when Eponine’s literally dying in his arms, singing about how much she loves him, he sings the duet like he sees her as a little sister. Baekhyun, he was literally friendzoning her even in death.”

“Okay, Chanyeol, but that’s not--”

“The only thing proper about _Les Mis_ is the title. All of your favorite people and ships die.”

Baekhyun stayed quiet for a while before he laughed, leaning in and giving the giant a faint kiss on the corner of his lips. “You’re a nerd… Ew.”

-

-

The bed scene was a bump in the road that Chanyeol managed to get over. Baekhyun had no breasts but they still had to make it look like he did. The bed sheets did the job of creating the illusion.

Baekhyun's bed hair and half-nudity on stage wasn't much of a change from how he looked that morning. He was comfortable with Kyungsoo being just as nude because it was simply art.

In other scenes that required more than just his sex appeal, Baekhyun was soft, provoking, and strong in his acting. It was an amazing transformation watching him turn into a person of character and _that_ was something Chanyeol quietly admitted to the director.

After rehearsal, Chanyeol dropped by the green room, walking in on Kyungsoo wiping Baekhyun’s face with a cloth. Jongin stood behind them, cleaning up the mess on the makeup counters. When Kyungsoo glanced up, he gave a smile, waving with a free hand.

“Hey, Chanyeol.”

Baekhyun kept his back turned against the producer, but greeted him anyways. “Hey.”

“Hi… Great job today.” Chanyeol gave a nod to Kyungsoo. “The same goes out to you guys, too.”

“Did you need something?” Jongin asked. He threw away some of the trash he was carrying, and went to sit down in a seat.

“No, I’m just waiting for Baekhyun.” Chanyeol reached into his pocket and took out his cellphone. It was nine-thirty at night, too late for most restaurants, but never too late for street food. “You ready?”

“Almost. Can you grab my cellphone? It’s on the table over there.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes followed as Chanyeol moved to pick up the blonde’s cellular device. “Do you ever go _home_ anymore, Baekhyun?” he said under his breath, moving Baekhyun’s hair from his face. “It’s like you go home with him all the time.”

“Of course, I do!” Baekhyun said, scoffing. “I mean, I have to get clothes and stuff.”

“Hmm…Okay. Well, you’re done. Makeup free,” Kyungsoo said, stepping back. 

“Thank you,” Baekhyun sang, standing up from his seat. He turned around and met Chanyeol who handed him the phone.

“Still talking to my brother?” Chanyeol commented during the exchange. “Business?”

“Sure. Business. Fun business.”

Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol turned his attention over to Jongin and Kyungsoo who were picking up their rehearsal bags, getting ready to leave. “Do you want to join us for some drinks?”

Shaking his head, Kyungsoo politely declined. “I’d rather get my sleep tonight, but thanks for offering.”

“Jongin?”

“Same.” Throwing the strap of his backpack over his shoulder, Jongin started making his way to the door. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Soo?”

“Coming,” the other replied, waving good-bye to the other two. “Baekhyun, call me when you’re free so we can set up a date to rehearse the lines.”

“Alright, I’ll mark down a date in my calendar,” Baekhyun said, waving back. “Saturdays are always good. Bye.”

After Kyungsoo and Jongin left, Chanyeol waited for Baekhyun to gather his own things in his bag before turning off the lights in the green room. As they walked down the hallway, Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun continued to text on his phone.

“Please don’t tell me you’re texting Kris.”

“I am,” Baekhyun said, grinning. “Wonderful man.”

“He’s too old for you.”

Scoffing, Baekhyun sent off one last text before shoving the phone in his back pocket. “And you aren’t?”

“I’m twenty-six.”

“God, I think I’m sleeping with Hugh Hefner.”

Reaching over, Chanyeol trapped him in a playful headlock and Baekhyun whined, squirming and hitting Chanyeol with his small, ineffective fists until he was released.

“Clingy!” Baekhyun said, gasping.

“Says Sneaky Sally over here texting my thirty-two year old brother.” Keeping an arm loosely around Baekhyun’s shoulder, Chanyeol looked down at him. “Seriously. What’re you talking to him about?”

“It’s a surprise,” Baekhyun groaned, throwing his head back. “Stop prying. It’s not like I’m being buddy-buddy with him. I don’t have time to mess around like that right now.”

“This surprise better not make me sick. I don’t like pranks.”

“It’s not a prank. Promise…”

“I’m watching you,” Chanyeol warned.

Baekhyun laughed. “You always are… Are you excited for the opening night? I am.”

“Yeah. Things are looking good.”

It was a good thing to say out loud. The theater was flourishing and the actors were just as dedicated to their job as Chanyeol was to the success of everything. Reservations kept rolling in, and businesses were jumping at the opportunity to advertise themselves at the center of the talk of the town.

He hadn’t heard much from his father or brother. No word of “We’re proud” or--better yet-- “We were wrong”. It was something Chanyeol decided not to linger about too much.

Despite how his relationship with Baekhyun had shifted into something _more_ , the memories of Baekhyun yelling and arguing with him about production stories were still imbedded in his mind. Recently, he thought about ways to accommodate the theater’s old ways, but he never really discussed it with the others.

After closing the back doors and locking them, Chanyeol cleared his throat as they walked down the street and began heading toward his apartment. He took a second for himself, but later broke the silence.

“I was thinking that maybe the theater should have… _some_ Shakespearean acts...from time to time, I mean,” Chanyeol said, trying to present skillfully. “You did have some sort of following before, and from the emails I’ve been getting, the elementary schools are still interested in seeing the all-male cast in their--as they said-- ‘funny’ performance of _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_.”

“So, what’re you saying, then?”

Baekhyun was looking at him with a cocky grin on his face. Fuck it.

“You can have slots maybe twice or three times a month for Shakespeare.”

“What about Sophocles?”

“Sure.”

“Ah… You’re trying to make up for the fact that you’re a _dick_ ,” Baekhyun sang, wiggling a finger in the air. “It’s okay. I accept this proposition, so thank you. I’m going to take advantage of this before you change your mind.” Stopping him, Baekhyun pulled on the man’s jacket and pulled him in for a quick kiss. “Shall I compare thee to a midsummer’s d--”

“No. No poems. Let’s go,” Chanyeol said interrupting. He pulled away after stealing another quick kiss on the lips. “Save the poetry for later.”

“When’s later?”

“Never.”

-

-

_“Never knew I could feel like this, like I’ve never seen the sky before. Want to vanish inside your kiss. Every day I love you more and more...”_

All eyes were on Baekhyun. A few people around shedding a tear at the scene. Kyungsoo’s chest was heaving, body frozen as Baekhyun sang to him, voice wavering with want and desire.

Chanyeol was biting the push part of his pen, not out of jealousy, but of anticipation.

It was a scene that he had watched a million time, one rehearsed over and over again until it reached perfection. He turned his head, looking at the theater. It was filled. The thing was actually _packed_ , which was a large contrast to the sight he saw the one time he visited the dead scene before buying the establishment.

He finally admitted to the blonde that he _might’ve_ been extremely proud of everything that he had done (and what the others had managed to accomplish), but Baekhyun only half-believed him, crying, “Flattery won’t get you laid!”

But it actually did, but that was never Chanyeol’s intention when he said it.

The silence of the theater was golden. It meant everyone was captivated. By him. Baekhyun. By Kyungsoo. Everyone.

Closing his eyes, Chanyeol took in a deep breath. The musical went on, but his mind was on other matter. His grandfather would’ve been proud of him. He had no doubt of that, but other than Kris’ mysterious texts to Baekhyun, which the latter would never let him see, even going so far as to put a pass lock on his phone, Chanyeol’s family hadn’t said or sent one word to him.

He figured his father was still pressed about the entire issue of buying a theater. Maybe he still saw it as an irresponsible move, but from what Chanyeol could see, it was nothing but a gamble gone right.

It would’ve been nice to have his family there. For once, he had his life together and managed to turn a flop-of-a-theater into something promising within the course of four short months. He had a wonderful crew and staff working for him, all of which were accountable for the premier’s performance. Aside from his business, his personal life was also budding--at least, he thinks.

Baekhyun never mentioned anything about being official, and neither did he. It was always in the air, but no one bothered to grab it and turn it into something concrete. Then again, maybe if he took another gamble and just _said_ something along the lines of “Hey, are we serious?”, something might actually happen.

But that was easier said than done.

_“We’re not serious...This isn’t serious...Um, I hope you don’t think this is serious…”_

It was beginning to be Baekhyun’s catch phrase, and Chanyeol didn’t know how to put an end to it. He knew he could always give back the shoe that Baekhyun threw at him the first time they met and say something cheesy and gross like, “Hey, princess, turns out you’re my Cinderella. Let’s get married, like, right now or something.”

Recently, however, Baekhyun had been showing signs of jealousy whenever he caught Chanyeol with the other female actresses on set who were playing minor characters. It wasn’t like before when everyone rehearsed in sweatpants and crewnecks. By the end of their journey, everyone was in full costume, boobs and legs visible, and Chanyeol might’ve stared a little too long at some that weren’t Baekhyun’s. He only found out about his stupid mistakes when Baekhyun made it a point to show off his legs in private more, bending over whenever he could, like getting the dishes out the dishwasher and tying his shoes on top of a really high counter.

However weird and indefinite they were, he was happy. Oddly enough.

When the musical ended two hours later, the theater erupted in cheers. A brief thank you was said and everyone on stage took a bow. It took about thirty minutes for the theater to clear, but that didn’t mean the back wasn’t bustling. A few of the audience members had the authority to visit backstage and meet the actors, so Chanyeol watched as kids and adults alike took turns taking photos with the crew. Baekhyun was quite popular (not surprisingly), garnering the attention of many teenage girls as well as the adolescent boys.

Leaning against a wall, Chanyeol waited until the traffic behind stage became diluted over time as people began to leave. When he finally got the chance after the last person to approach Baekhyun had left, Chanyeol grinned, holding the male’s chin up to face him.

“You did fantastic, princess. You didn’t stick with the script, though. That impromptu kiss came back,” he teased.

“The audience loved it,” Baekhyun justified, smiling cockily.

“Not going to lie. I kinda did, too.”

Leaning down, Chanyeol took the blonde by the lips. Baekhyun smiled into the kiss, cocking his head for a better angle. Just as Chanyeol was about to deepen it, slipping his tongue just past Baekhyun’s lips, the two of them heard a few exaggerated coughs from behind and stopped, pulling away to look.

Shocked, Chanyeol straightened his posture, hands still holding onto Baekhyun. “Dad.”

Baekhyun, however, seemed less in shock. In fact, he was delighted. “You two made it!”

Laughing, Chanyeol’s dad offered Baekhyun a large bouquet of flowers. The blonde had to hug it to his body, barely seeing over it. Chanyeol thought it was ridiculous and embarrassing. “Wouldn’t have missed this for the world. You were amazing.”

Baekhyun curtsied. “Thank you,” he said gracefully. “Did you guys get to meet the other actors?”

“Yes,” Kris said eagerly. “They were all great. Do you think any of them might be interested in--”

“No,” Chanyeol said adamantly. “They’re all happy here.”

Instead of taking it offensively, Kris only nodded, satisfied. “I’m glad to hear that, Yeol… I hate to admit it, but you actually have a nice thing here.”

“We were worried you were gambling the money away in a manner your grandfather would not have liked,” his father said slowly, “but I think this is the best thing you possibly could have done… Congratulations, son.”

“Thank--”

“Oh, but Yeol, if you ever want to sell this theater, I can also buy out the actors’ contracts--especially you, Baekhyun. Call me, beep me, if you wanna--”

Chanyeol threw his brother a glare. “Fuck off,” he said hotly, sparking Baekhyun to give him an amused look.

“Be nice. Your brother came after I begged him to for, like, five weeks.” Baekhyun gave the giant a pat on the back. “Family matters.”

“Baekhyun said he’d send us the wedding invites, and dad over here wasn’t going to have a son married without him being there.” Kris shrugged, redirecting his eyes to Baekhyun. “You’re very talented and pretty, but I think I’m too old.”

“You are,” Chanyeol quickly said. He grabbed Baekhyun and held him tighter. “I think this one’s taken.”

“We guessed as much by the way you cried when Satine, you know, presumably died... Weak.” Heaving a sigh, Kris walked over, putting a hand on Chanyeol’s shoulder. “But in all seriousness, I’m proud of you. And so is dad. Keep up the good work. If you ever need anything, you know you can always call us. And you, Baekhyun, if you’re ever interested--and I mean ever-- then--”

“I’m fine, Kris. Thank you,” Baekhyun said, offering a smile. The grin on his face only grew wider when he saw Chanyeol look down at him. “I’m okay for now.”

“Well, if you say so. Don't forget about those wedding invites!"

It was a pleasant thing to see his brother and father, for once, not utterly disappointed with him. In fact, they were just as proud of his baby (the theater, not Baekhyun) as he was. Chanyeol wanted to hoot and holler, but instead, he picked Baekhyun by the waist and hoisted him up in the air.

"I love you so much, princess," he said, cooing and gladly announcing it as if it was something they said to each other often. "Like, fuck. You're amazing as hell."

A slight blush appeared on Baekhyun's face. "Hey, stupid. We're not _that_ serious yet..."

"Aren't we?"

"I don't know..."

Chanyeol set him down, giving him a coy face. "Then what was that thing about wedding invites?"

"Something to use to get them here."

Pretending to be hurt, Chanyeol put about hand to his heart. "Ouch... Is this rejection?"

"Chanyeol--"

"I've been meaning to tell you this, princess, but I kind of see you as my boyfriend even though you say it's not serious." Chanyeol paused, the teasing flame in his eyes gone. "I hope you don't mind."

Baekhyun's jaw gaped and his voice was being difficult, but it's wasn't so shocking that he lost all ability to respond.

"Same..." he replied softly before speaking up. "I think I feel the same way. I'm comfortable with you and you're fun to make fun of."

"Are you saying that because I have money?"

"Fuck no--"

"Good," Chanyeol said, kissing Baekhyun on the cheek. "Now, go clean up so we can go home. We have to celebrate, remember?"

The look in Baekhyun's eyes was teasingly sly. He leaned in and whispered, "How can I forget how thick you are?"

The only thing Chanyeol could do was glare before falling for the way Baekhyun was batting his eyes. It was dumb. It was a sin. It was irresistible.

"Hurry it up, princess or I swear we're using the nearest closet to celebrate."

"Oooh. That's almost as kinky as--"

"Dont."

"Fantine's--"

"Baekhyun--"

"Wooden box that she used to sleep with her customers in the 2012 movie."

Chanyeol sighed. The obsession would never end.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave your review on LiveJournal. ♥


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